Аннотация:The review contains the hormonal characteristic of the line of stress sensitive hypertensive rats (SSHR) developed from normotensive Wistar rats (WR) during genetic selection. The in vivo production mineralo- and glucocorticoids by rat adrenal glands is estimated. It is shown that SSHR have an increased level of glucocorticoids. The biochemical features of pathogenesis of essential hypertension are discussed.